Planning for a (Mostly) Hassle-Free Cloud Migration | VTUG 2016 Winter Warmer

Planning for a (Mostly) Hassle-Free Cloud Migration

Joe ConlinSenior Solutions Engineer

VTUG 2016 Winter Warmer

Introduction

There is no “one right way” for cloud migration

…Let’s talk about proper planning to significantly reduce your migration headaches

Cloud Migration Steps

Step 1: PreparationBy far, the most successful migrations we see have significant preparation and testing in common.

Address key questions e.g.:• Which applications will you migrate?• Partial or complete migration?• Do you need additional staff?• How will security be addressed?• What is acceptable downtime?

Preparation

Key Question: Do you need to redesign your apps for the cloud?

Source: AkamaiSource: Akamai

Pros• Apps are in load balanced

pools that increase agility• Apps scale and cluster

easily for high availability and flexibility

Cons• Time & licensing costs

• Risk of change and complexity

• Will it work?• Possible vendor lock-in

Key Question: How quickly do you need the migration to be done?

Time• Do you run servers that have multiple roles?

This extends migration time.• Many other factors influence how long it

takes; typical timeframe is a few weeks to more than six months.


Step 2: Workload EvaluationClearly identify the resource demands, relationships and dependencies that exist between your applications and workloads.

Preparation

Workload Eval

Prioritize your applications and workloads.

Which workloads/apps are best-suited for migration?

Good Fit• Backup/storage/archive• Apps w/traffic spikes• Apps for Startups • Micro-services• Big data/analytics• Low and mid-tier database

support

Less Fit Least Fit• Health care apps

• Banking apps• Geopolitical

constraints• Micro-services• Large scale

database support

• Legacy apps• ERP systems• Limited to no support• Apps w/licensing issues

Additional Considerations

How much data do you need to migrate?

How much bandwidth do you have?

Do your apps contain cloud licensing restrictions?

How much staffing, support services will you need?

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Step 3: Determine the right migration type There are multiple ways you can actually move data. Let’s look at some of the most common.

Preparation

Workload Eval

Migration Type

Migration Types

Replace – Coding a new application

Re-host – AKA lift and shift

Refactor – “Cloudifying” existing apps

Partial Migration – When you don’t move an entire application stack

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Lift & Shift vs. Greenfield Builds

Re-host or start from scratch? That is the question.

Don’t assume that reusing what you already have is the best option!

Greenfield Builds vs. Lift & Shift Starting with a fresh base OS offers benefits that can make the effort worth it.

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Legacy issues are of no concern

Access to latest OS & other technologies

Faster cutover, less maintenance times because you can work in parallel with your steady-state production environment


Step 4: TestInvest in a small-scale “sandbox” test.

This is important to see how your applications will work in a new environment.

You may learn information that leads you to change the kind of migration you need.

Preparation

Workload Eval

Migration TypeTest


Preparation

Workload Eval

Migration TypeTest

Execute

Step 5: ExecuteStart with your tier four workloads – your least strategic and mission critical then…

Test!Then repeat with the remaining workloads


Preparation

Workload Eval

Migration TypeTest

Execute

Step 6: Validate, Maintain TrainYes, more testing. Goal here is to replicate standard activities to evaluate performance and reliability.

ValidateLesson Learned: Run both the new cloud and old traditional environments in parallel to minimize any risk of downtime or app failures. Use one for production and the other for testing.

Evangelize and Educate: Once everything runs well, be sure to conduct employee training to help realize the benefits of your new cloud environment.

The Hypervisor

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Hypervisor compatibility is important – whether a CSP uses VMware, Xen or KVM, there are specific considerations for each.

Inspect your provider to understand how they back their availability claims and SLAs – technologies, people, processes

Are they proficient at using cross-hypervisor and p2v migration tools?

Evaluating Cloud Providers for Best Fit

The Network

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What is the max throughput available?

Do they have layer 2 and layer 3 capabilities?

Can they integrate w/third-party carriers?

Do you pay on transferred data or on a commit rate?4


Services & Support

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How can they seed your data to their platform?

Understand their migration service offerings; who performs them?

What is their typical installation and does it fit with your needs?

For more insights, tips from the cloud migration trenches, visit TierPoint.com: Resources > Whitepapers > Simplify Cloud Migration.

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Entertainment Industry: Major Cable TV Network

Existing TierPoint DR client working with another vendor for production when vendor’s building was sold.

Challenge: They needed to move their production data with a live fail over to TierPoint, then a fail back to a new production environment while reestablishing replication with TierPoint.

Solution: A TierPoint Private Cloud using VMware Site Recovery Manager

Case Study


Gathered extensive detailed information about the client’s production environment including desired RTOs/RPOs.

Designed and built a private cloud environment based on the highly scalable TierPoint FlexPod Cloud platform running Cisco UCS, NetApp and VMware.

Leveraged Cisco UCS and NetApp for bare-metal SQL clusters

Implemented replication and failover using vSphere Replication over existing 10G layer 2 network

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Case Study

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Tested and validated cutover and failback procedures and worked with client to determine ideal cutover time

Cutover production to TierPoint Hawthorne cloud environment in waves

Client then moved their production environment back to another location and re-established replication to insure a new functional DR site

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Case Study

Thank YouJoe [email protected]

Technology

Planning for a (Mostly) Hassle-Free Cloud Migration | VTUG 2016 Winter Warmer